Fratres apud Armis
by CasiNight
Summary: Title means "Brothers at Arms". When Dean gets a call from Castiel in a dream, he and Sam go to the rescue. But when Dean and Cas become injured, will Cas heal in time to save Dean? NO DESTIEL! NO WINCEST! There is only a brother relationship between the three. Castiel whump. Dean whump. VERY worried Sam. Worried Bobby.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, so this is my first Supernatural fanfiction so go easy on me, but it is definitely not a Destiel fanfiction. **

**I'd like to send a HUGE THANK YOU to my friend The Last of Her Kind for reading the story over and over again to make sure that it was good. **

**Please read and review, but, most of all, ENJOY!**

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Dean didn't like what was going on and every instinct he had told him to get the hell out of there.

He'd gotten a message from Cas in a dream and the dream had led him here. He still didn't know how he got the address through all that had happened in the dream. Red hot searing pain along with physical endurance and the feeling of a life and death struggle had seeped through Cas's thoughts into Deans dream sequence.

Upon receiving the dream/message, he'd woken up to find that Sam was looking worriedly at him. Dean dismissed it as he instantly got out of bed and grabbed the bottle of whiskey they had in their room. After taking a few very large swigs, Dean had explained the dream to Sam and written down the address that he had gotten from the dream. It took no time at all to, as Dean put so eloquently, "stow their crap" and get on the road.

The address was only about a mile away and turned out to be an old abandoned church. Dean told Sam to stay in the car until he came back, not wanting to startle Cas if he was having . . . problems. It wasn't that Cas didn't like Sam, but he and Dean shared a much more "profound bond".

Dean had to keep himself from laughing at the memory as he walked up the stairs to the old decaying building. Cas was so socially awkward that the nerdy little angel was often causing uncomfortable moments like that.

The thought that he may find Cas in a state where there would be no awkward moments caused by him scared Dean, more than he would like to admit. Cas had become like a brother to him and he had done a lot to help Dean and Sam in defeating the things that meant to do the world harm.

Calming his pounding heart, Dean made his way through the vast front doors and into the dark, quiet church. It was silent, but not a good type of silence, the kind of silence that made you know that something bad was happening. All the warning bells that had been developed from his years of hunting were going off, practically screaming at him to turn back and get the hell out of there. But he couldn't. Getting out of there would have entailed leaving Cas behind and that simply wasn't an option.

There was a tan lump of the ground ahead of him and Dean quickened his pace, trying to get to it as quickly as possible. As he neared the thing, its shape became more defined and Dean's heart rate picked up despite all his efforts. Whatever it was, it was dressed in a tan trench coat. A few more steps and a head of shaggy brown hair was revealed and Dean broke out into a run, dropping to his knees next to it. "Cas!" He rolled Cas over into his arms and looked down at his fallen friend.

Cas's head flopped onto his arm and his eyes lazily opened, revealing a weary and pained blue. "Dean?"

"Yeah, you dumb son of a bitch. Why didn't you call us for help instead of going all Leroy Jenkins on the place." Dean's eyes roamed over him and he saw the blood on his side, the stab wound that wasn't just seeping blood, but light as well. Bobby had told Dean about this. Apparently, Cas had dropped out of the sky into Bobby's dining room with a wound similar to this. It had drained him and severely weakened him. This one looked much worse.

Cas's breathing was labored as he grimaced and struggled to focus on Dean as he answered. "I don't know what you mean by that reference."

"You never do. What the hell happened, Cas?" Dean looked around when an uneasy feeling grew in the pit of his stomach.

Cas looked around with Dean, his angel instincts, but like Deans hunter ones, going off as well. "Angels. I was ambushed."

"Alright. Well, let's get you out of here before your feathered friends show up." Dean's attention was diverted when the flutter of wings sounded a few feet away. Looking up, he saw Raphael standing above them, his own sword held threateningly in his hand.

"Dean Winchester. I should've you would try to get involved. Hand over the abomination." Raphael gripped his sword tighter as Dean reached for Cas's.

"Sorry, but I can't do that." Dean slowly let Cas slide to the ground, ignoring him as he gripped his wrist in an attempt to stop him from going.

"Dean, you can't-" Cas tried to say, but was interrupted as Dean came back in a gruff voice.

"Shut up, Cas. I know how to handle princess over here." Dean got to his feet and stood protectively before his brother. He would be damned if he was going to let this bastard with wings take his friend.

Raphael smiled and began to maliciously chuckle. "You really believe that YOU can knife fight an angel."

"It can't be that hard. You guys aren't the brightest bunch of creatures I've ever met." Dean said, gripping the knife and trying to remember the way that he had seen Cas fight.

Dean didn't even get an opportunity as Raphael lunged forward, a snarl coming from deep inside him with his knife raised above his head. Dean raised his and surprisingly blocked it, throwing his own body weight forward and knocking Raphael backward.

Cas managed to roll himself over and crawl forward, trying desperately to reach Dean and help him. As much as Dean boasted, Cas knew that there was no way that Dean would be able to win in a fight against an angel, especially if that angel was Raphael, and Cas was too weak to fight. They had only one chance, and that was to flee, even as undignified as running away was.

Dean swiped towards Raphael who jumped back before coming forward, knife raised again. Dean walked right into the trap and raised his own knife. At the last second, he dropped the knife into his lower hand and grabbed Dean's wrist that held his knife, plunging his own into Dean's shoulder. Dean fell back and noticed that he was only an arms reach away from Cas, who was, amazingly, on his hands and knees, conscious and aware.

Cas stretched out his hand, summoning the 'emergency reserves', as the humans would call it, of his angelic power. "Dean. Give me your hand."

Dean didn't waste a second and locked his hand around Cas's wrist as Cas locked his own around Deans. In a second, the flutter of wings sounded and Cas and Dean were gone.

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**So, what did ya' think? Was it good, bad, barely tolerable? Tell me what you thought and the next chapter should be up soon!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

Dean fell hard and landed on his back, the knife he had been clutching skittering across the floor. He clutched at his shoulder as the pain flared and then realized that he had much bigger problems to worry about than one little stab wound.

He stopped short in his thoughts and mused over what really was the problem if it wasn't the one little stab wound that was currently killing his friend. Dean sat up and looked over at Cas, curled on his side on the floor of Bobby's kitchen and corrected himself. It was the one big stab wound that was the problem and it was currently leaking a lot of blood.

Crawling over, he rolled Cas onto his back and peeled away his coat. He needed help NOW. "Bobby!"

A gruff cursing and thudding coming from the stairs could be heard and Bobby appeared seconds later before he appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. "Balls! Not again." He came and knelt down next to Dean, looking at the bleeding and pained angel. "What the hell happened?"

"We got in a fight with Raphael and . . . the rest is history!" Dean said, growing angry as he looked at what that douche bag angel had done to his friend. "Find some gauze. It hasn't stopped bleeding."

Bobby got up and ran to grab his first aid kit, pulling out several gauze pads and bringing them over with him.

Dean took them and unbuttoned Cas's shirt, placing the gauze on the bleeding wound and pressing down, causing a whimper to come from Cas. "Sorry." The gauze was quickly soaked through and Dean replaced it with another one, satisfied when the bleeding slowed and finally stopped. Dean put the last gauze pad in the first aid kit on the wound and secured it down with tape. Cas seemed to be somewhat peacefully sleeping and Dean felt the adrenaline high he had been on for the past few hours wear off.

A hand on Dean's shoulder made him turn around and see Bobby, looking at him with the most sincere look he had seen in a while. "Everything's going to be ok, Dean. He'll bounce back, he always does."

Cas was laid on the couch, seemingly asleep with his breathing regular and relaxed while his face was no longer filled with pain. Dean was at the kitchen table, a bottle of bear in front of his crossed arms, where his head was rested. Bobby was at his desk, going through another ancient book and slowly reading it as it was translated in his mind. The sound of an engine outside made him look up from the book and silently rise, going to the door and opening it just as Sam reached for the handle, a bag with the words THANK YOU emblazoned on the side clutched in his hand. "Bobby?"

"Who else would it be, you idjit?" Bobby's eyes turned sincere and he gestured for Sam to follow him inside. "Be quiet. Cas and your brother are asleep. Took me forever to get him that way."

Sam followed Bobby inside and quietly put the bag on the ground next to Bobby's desk and turned to look at his sleeping brother. "How's he been, Bobby?"

"Well, he's been sustaining the hard, sarcastic exterior for the whole time, but he isn't handling it well. If that angel doesn't bounce back . . . We're going to have a real problem on our hands." Bobby said, scratching the back of his neck.

Sam noticed the way that Dean was shivering and holding his shoulder like it was paining him. "Bobby?" Sam asked, rushing over to his brother.

"I don't know, Sam. He wasn't like that when I last spoke to him. He must have just begun to exhibit the signs."

Sam slowly put his hand on his brother's arm, feeling the heat radiating from his skin. "Dean?"

"Dude, personal space," Dean said, pushing his brothers hand away.

"Dean? Do you feel ok?" Sam said, worry tainting his voice.

"I'm fine-."

"Bullshit, Dean." Sam said, placing his hand on Dean's forehead before Dean swatted it away. "You're burning up. Let me check this," He said, spotting the bandages peeking out from under Dean's shirt.

As if testament to how bad Dean was feeling, he didn't have the strength to even argue with his brother as Sam pulled his shirt off and peeled the bandage away from the skin. The skin surrounding the wound was puffy and red and the injury was even hotter than the skin surrounding it. "Jeeze, Dean. What the hell is this?"

"Raphael, the son of a bitch. Decided to use me as his own personal human pin cushion." His words were angry, but his voice was growing weaker as Dean's eyes began droop and his head to loll.

"Woh, Dean. Stay with me now. Dean. Dean!" But it was too late and Sam watched as his brother slowly fell unconscious, the only thing keeping him from smacking his forehead on the table in front of him was the hands of his very worried brother.

With Bobby's help, they got the wound cleaned and dressed again, pulling Dean's shirt gently over his head after they were done. Sam went to his duffel and pulled the sweatshirt that Dean seemed to favor whenever he was ill and put that on his brother as well. The sweatshirt was huge, but it was warm and that was exactly what Dean needed. Bobby found the cot that the boys liked to use when they were over and put it on the floor, covering it in blankets and putting a pillow at the top.

Sam did the work of getting his brother from the chair to the cot, carrying him there and gently tucking him in. When he was satisfied, he stood and looked at Bobby, at Cas, at Dean, and then back at Bobby. "What are we going to do, Bobby?"

Bobby shrugged. "Not much we can do right now. The authorities are still looking for your ugly mugs, so it's too dangerous to take him to the hospital." Bobby sighed. "All we can do is pray. Pray that Cas get his angel mojo back in time to help this idjit."

Sam nodded and pulled a chair up next to Dean's cot, knowing that he wouldn't be leaving it until he knew that his brother was going to be ok.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok, so here is the next chapter! I'm having so much fun writing this story! I mean, who wouldnt want to write a story thats just a bunch of Dean whump? :) **

**Please let me now who I'm doing with a review, but, most importantly, ENJOY!**

** Another huge thank you to The Last of Her Kind for giving me moral support with this story. Thanks for being there. **

**Disclaimer (which I really need to get better at doing): I do not own Supernatural or its characters. They belong to Eric Kripke and CW. **

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Sam rubbed his eyes and looked up at the ticking clock. It had been eight hours and the sun was beginning to rise, small streaks of sunlight filtering through the South Dakotan terrain. Sam hadn't slept a wink, and, even though he was feeling tired, he wouldn't sleep. His brother needed him and he wouldn't betray that trust. A whimpering came from next to him and Sam looked down, seeing his brother twitching in his sleep. "Dean? Dean, wake up!"

Sam gently shook his brother, calming when Dean's green eyes opened, even if they were clouded and tired. His hair was stuck to his head with perspiration, but he was still shivering underneath all of the blankets. "Sammy?"

"Yeah, Dean," Sam said, glancing over at Cas, who was still showing no signs of waking up. "What happened, Dean?"

"Raphael . . . he was trying to find out where we are." Dean was quickly losing his battle against unconsciousness again, but Sam was determined to find out what happened.

"Did you tell him, Dean? Does he know where we are?" Sam asked, his hand on Deans arm, gently applying pressure whenever Dean started to drift off.

Dean slowly shook his head. "No. Raphael doesn't know where we are. Is Cas ok?"

Sam looked over at the fallen angel and shrugged, smiling at the memory. "Do I look like angel medicine woman?"

Dean smiled up at his brother as his eyes drooped. "That's my line." His head lolled as he lost the battle and Sam looked up at Bobby, his eyes sad and fearful.

"Bobby. We gotta do something." Sam said. He looked about to cry but was trying to be strong like his brother. He was always trying to be strong like his brother, but with their lives, it was going to be very hard and Sam didn't know if he could do it alone, especially if Dean was . . . No. He wouldn't say it, he wouldn't even think it. Dean would be fine.

Bobby shrugged. "I don't know, Sam. We just got to wait it out and see if Cas can wake up in time-." Bobby didn't get to finish his sentence.

"In time for what?" Bobby and Sam turned around to see Cas looking at them from the couch where he was slumped, obviously not feeling well even if he was vertical. He watched them as they stared at him and asked again, "In time for what?" As he finished the sentence, he noticed the blanketed form behind Sam. A look of confusion passed over his features and he looked between Bobby and Sam. "What happened?"

Sam was the first one to speak. "He was injured in the fight against Raphael."

Cas's eyes became troubled and guilty as he looked at the floor. "I had no idea." Looking back up to Sam's eyes, Cas asked, "Is it serious?"

Sam nodded. "Yes. The wound became infected and he's really sick. Bobby and I were hoping that you could heal him."

Cas shook his head and the guiltiness in his eyes intensified. "I am sorry to say that I can't. The fight with Raphael drained me. I have no power to heal him with."

Sam's hopes fell through the floor and he knew that Bobby's had joined them. Cas was their last hope and he couldn't do anything for Dean. "How long will it take you to get your powers back?"

Cas shrugged. "A few hours at least. There is no way to know for sure."

Sam nodded and stood going into the kitchen and leaning on the counter. Bobby went to join him and left Cas alone with Dean.

Cas looked over at the fallen hunter and slowly stood, ignoring the diminishing feelings of pain in his system and walked to the edge of the cot, kneeling down next to it. "Dean? Are you able to hear me?"

Dean's eyes slowly fluttered open, revealing the green that was dull with pain and sickness. "Cas? You, son of a bitch. How you up and around already?"

Cas ignored the name, one that Dean called him frequently, and truly looked at him, seeing the pale skin, cloudy eyes, and the sweat soaked forehead. Even though Cas didn't experience these things for himself, he had been around the brothers enough to understand how fragile the human body was. "You seem to forget Dean, that I am not human. I heal much faster than you do."

Dean nodded and his eyes began to droop. Every time he opened them, it was harder to keep them open for as long. Dean knew what was happening and he knew that the man sitting in front was the one who could heal him, but he didn't want to make the angel feel any guiltier. The angel already looked like someone had kicked his puppy.

The awkward silence that sometimes came with Cas decided to make itself present and Dean had to smile. It was good to know that the awkward moments weren't over like he thought they might be. Cas decided to interrupt the silence and shook his head, finding his hands very fascinating. "Dean, I . . ."

"Cas. Don't. Just don't. You'd be doing the same thing for me if our roles had been reversed. It's ok. I'll be fine."

Cas became upset and his eyes narrowed in pain as he fought away the tears when Dean fell back asleep. He stood and looked down at the injured human, feeling within him for the power that he needed to heal him. He had not healed his own yet, but he would gladly take away Dean's pain before he took away his own. Looking over, he saw that Sam and Bobby were still talking in the kitchen, so he quietly snuck out the front door.

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Bobby turned to look towards the door as he heard it close and then looked at Dean to see him sleeping again. With how weak he was getting, Bobby didn't know if the boy would wake up again. Closing his eyes for a moment, Bobby pushed the tears back. These were his boys, his idjits. Whenever someone messed with them, they messed with him and now, Dean had been messed with, and Bobby knew that it was an understatement, but that's what he needed. He needed to think that this was a small enough situation for them to deal with like they always had. But that wasn't the situation and Bobby couldn't keep lying to himself. He had to face the cold hard fact.

Dean was dying in his living room and unless Cas got his mojo back in time, they would all watch Dean die.

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**How did you like it? Was it good, bad, or just . . . eh? :) Please review and let me know. **

**THANKS FOR READING!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright, so here is ch. 4. This is kind of a short chapter, but I knew where I wanted to end in comparison to where I was, so it just ended up like that. Unfortunately, I will not be able to post a chapter tomorrow, but I will be sure to get one up on Monday, so just hang in there! :) **

**Another thank you to The Last of Her Kind. She was the one who got me up to do this. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or its characters or its gorgeous car, even though I wish that I owned a '67 Chevy Impala with Dean in the drivers seat :)**

**And without further adieu, ENJOY!**

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Sam walked out the front door and stopped behind the trench coated figure. Cas's shoulders were slumped and his head was in his hands, showing the signs that he truly was out of power or, as Dean would say, plutonium. Sam smiled at the memory before his mind returned to the present and the smile disappeared. Walking forward, he sat on the steps next to the angel, crossing his arms on his knees and blinking his eyes tiredly. Looking over at Cas, he asked, "How you feeling?"

Cas brought his head out of his hands, his features calm and schooled, even though it was very difficult for him. Truthfully, he felt like crap, but he couldn't tell Dean's baby brother that. He and Bobby were counting on him to be able to help Dean, but, honestly, Cas didn't know if he could. He could feel his angelic power returning to him, but it was happening very slowly and he didn't know if it would return enough in time to save his friend . . . his brother. It hurt Cas even more to admit that to himself and know what was happening right now, but he kept his features calm for Sam. So, he lied like Dean had taught him. "I'm fine."

Sam nodded. "You don't know if you can heal Dean yet, do you."

Cas let his head droop and sighed. He forgot how observant the younger man was. The charade was up. "No. I don't." Cas looked up at the sky, his eyes pleading. "I wish that I could, Sam." Cas stood and began to walk down the steps.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked, growing anxious that Dean's last hope was walking away.

"To pray. I will be back shortly." Cas walked away, heading towards a secluded spot in Bobby's scrap yard.

Sam watched him walk away and then let go, tears falling from his tired brown eyes. They'd had close calls, but this was different. It had only been this close a few times. One of those times, Dean actually died. In his arms. Sam had watched the hell hounds rip him to shreds and then leave him in a puddle of his own blood, lifeless and empty. Sam couldn't do it again. He couldn't hold his dead brother in his arms again and realize that this time, there would be no Castiel to bring him back, that he was truly gone. And he wouldn't be able to hunt down some douche bag angel either to bring him back after making him real live a hundred versions of the same Tuesday. His brother would be truly and goodly . . . gone.

Sam stood up and wiped his eyes, trying desperately to bring himself back under control. He couldn't afford to think like that. And he wouldn't give up on Dean. He had to have faith that even if Cas did pull through in time, that his brother would be strong enough to fight off the infection by himself.

He went back inside and found Bobby sitting next to his brother. Bobby looked up at him and rubbed his eyes, showing the same signs of fatigue as Sam was. "He hasn't woken up. Sam, I don't know if he's-."

Sam shook his head, interrupting Bobby. "Bobby. He's going to be fine."

"But, Sam-."

"Bobby-."

"Damn it, boy! Listen to me!" Bobby closed his eyes and hung his head, immediately regretting yelling at the broken kid. "Sam. Most other people would be dead by now; it's a miracle that he's still alive. I just think that we should prepare for the worst, just in case Dean-." But once again, Bobby was interrupted, but, this time, by the fluttering of wings.

Bobby jumped out of his and he and Sam spun around, facing Cas, whose blood stained coat and shirt were no longer . . . bloodstained. They gave him questioning looks as he stood in the middle of Bobby's living room.

"I have regained my strength."

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**So? What did you think? Let me know with a review! They make my day! **

**Thanks for reading! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Here is chapter 5! This story is drawing to a close and there will probably only be one chapter left. Just giving you guys a heads up. :)**

**A huge thank you once again goes out to The Last of Her Kind , for being my moral support. Thanks so much**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or its characters. I'm just borrowing them to beat them up. :)**

**Once again, please review! It makes my day! ENJOY!**

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Sam and Bobby stared at the angel, their blinking eyes confused. Stepping forward, Sam tried to figure it out as he stared Cas. "How? Your powers shouldn't be back for a few more hours according to what you told us earlier."

Cas looked down at his coat and fingered the edges. He was just as confused as Sam was. His power had never come back this quickly after he was drained. He'd been asking his father for help when it returned, flowing through him and healing his wounds. The only thing that could explain such a miraculous transformation was that his father had heard him and given him his power back. For some odd reason, his father had a strange plan for Dean and wouldn't allow him to clock out yet.

Cas looked at Sam and said in the straightest and non-joking voice, "God. God gave me my power back."

Bobby shrugged, his eyes darting around. "Whatever floats your boat." Gesturing towards the deathly silent boy, he asked, "Can you help him now?"

Cas nodded. "Yes." Walking forward to sit by Dean, Cas placed two fingers on Dean's forehead and immediately, Dean's skin gained a healthy hue and his breathing evened out.

Bobby and Sam relaxed, both releasing a breath that they didn't know that they had been holding. "Thank you, Cas-." Sam didn't know if Cas had heard him as he was gone in a few seconds, leaving Sam and Bobby in the middle of the living room.

Sam looked down at his brother and saw green eyes blink open and he quickly sat down next to the cot, leaning over to try and get Dean's attention. "Dean? Dean, can you hear me?"

Dean slowly focused on Sam, his eyes tired, but they were no longer sickly. "Sammy? What happened?"

"You were stabbed by Raphael and your shoulder became infected. It was bad, Dean. Cas was injured and drained, so he wasn't able to heal you until a few minutes ago. You'll be ok now, though." Sam leaned on his knees, deciding if he should ask or not. Dean hated the fabric softener teddy bear moments. "How are you feeling?"

Dean took a deep breath, but didn't look at his brother, focusing instead on an interesting spot on the wall. "Tired . . . and hot. What the hell, why are there so many blankets?"

Sam smiled and began to pull off the heavier ones, leaving one still on his brother as Dean began to fall asleep. "We'll talk later."

Dean fought still and he slurred his words as he spoke. "Wait. Sam, where's Cas?"

Sam shrugged, looking around the room and only seeing Bobby standing there. "Don't know. He took off right after he healed you. Didn't even really get the chance to thank him." He noticed how Dean was quickly losing the fight and gave his arm a gentle pat. "Now, go to sleep. You need the rest."

Dean nodded as his head sunk into the pillow, asleep before Sam even got up.

Looking up at Bobby, Sam gave a smile and stood, heading to the couch and quickly falling asleep.

Bobby looked at his two boys and smiled, going to his desk and pulling out a bottle of whiskey. He poured himself a generous glass and returned to translating his book, the thought that his two boys were alive and well making him content.

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**What did you think? The feedback really helps me with my writing and my ego :) Just kidding! **

**Thanks so much for reading and have a great day!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here we are at the end (or is it the beginning?). :) This is the last chapter, and I just want to thank everyone for reading. **

**Please read and review.**

**Another huge thank you to The Last of Her Kind**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or its characters.**

**ENJOY!**

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Dean dropped his duffel in the trunk and closed it, patting the trunk before he went to the side of the car and leaned next to his brother. "You ready to go?"

Sam nodded and gestured towards the house with his head. "Yeah, but Bobby wanted to show us something before we left. How're you feeling?"

"Dude, I'm fine. Seriously, stop asking." Dean said, crossing his arms.

A crash came from inside the house, causing both Sam and Dean to jump and head for the steps, not even making it halfway as wings fluttered and hands appeared out of nowhere, throwing the brothers away and against the porch steps, right at the feet of another angel.

They looked up, right into the eyes of Raphael, glaring down at them like rats. "Long time, no see, Dean."

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Bobby looked at his two boys from where he was standing in the corner of the room, not daring to move as the hunters were being flanked by two angels, with Raphael sitting at Bobby's desk.

Raphael rested his elbows against the arms of the chair and folded his fingers, staring at Sam and Dean over the tops of his fingers. Dean didn't know if he was just being paranoid or if he was right, but it seemed like Raphael was staring at him more than anyone else.

"Where is Castiel?" Raphael asked, looking directly at Dean, no longer glancing around the room.

"I don't know. I think he said something about going back to the future." Dean was un-wavered, staring directly back at Raphael.

Raphael shook his head before looking back at Dean, his stare turning into a glare. "I was hoping that I wouldn't have to do this."

Suddenly, Dean collapsed, clutching his midsection and coughing, blood spattering the ground. Sam knelt down beside his brother, grabbing his arms to keep his from falling straight on his face. "Please. Stop this," Sam said, looking at Raphael with pleading eyes.

"Pray to Castiel, Dean, and this will all end. He will come to save you, you know that." Raphael stood and came around the desk, crouching down in front of Dean and his brother.

Dean slowly moved his gaze from the floor to Raphael's brown eyes, determination instead of fear residing in them. "I . . . will not . . . betray him."

"Loyalty doesn't suit you-."

"It works better for him than it does for you." Raphael looked up and saw Cas standing behind the two angels. In a flurry of suits, trench coat, and, finally, flashes of blinding white light, it was only Cas standing before them, his knife clutched in his hand and his gaze burning with fury at the scene before him. "Now, put Dean back together and we'll settle this, or put Dean back together and you can run. Those are your options. Choose."

Raphael disappeared at the same time that Dean stopped coughing and straightened up, wiping his chin with his hand and standing with a little assistance from his brother. Bobby came up behind Cas and put a hand on his shoulder, looking down at the two bodies and nodding.

Dean looked at his friend with a questioning look and asked, "How? I didn't pray to you."

"You don't have to pray to me Dean in order for me to hear you," Cas said, his knife disappearing as he decided that know would be the right time to explain himself. "I saw what Raphael was doing to you and came to help."

"Well, boy. You sure did choose a good time." Bobby said looking at Sam and gesturing towards the bodies. He knew that Cas and Dean had some things to talk about and didn't want to intrude. "Let's get rid of these bodies."

Dean waited until Sam and Bobby had drug the bodies out of the room before starting. "Where've you been?"

"Dean, I did not want to endanger you and Sam and Bobby with my presence. Raphael would've found you quicker if I had been here and I thought that I could buy you some time-."

"Cas," Dean said, massaging the bridge of his nose. "How am I going to make you understand? We're like family now, we've been through so much, and family doesn't hide their problems, they tell their friends and their friends help them, understand? If you think that something is wrong, you tell me, because that's what I'm here for. You saved me, now it's my turn." Dean said, standing in front of the wayward angel.

Cas nodded and looked up from the floor to Dean. He still had much to learn. When he was part of the garrison, it was always for the good of the garrison and if you were a threat, you went away and you dealt with it, even if dealing with it lead to death, it was honorable and for the garrison. Now, it's for the good of the one, not the many. In a way he understood, but in many others, it was still a mystery. "I think that I understand."

"Good, now let's go see if Sam and Bobby need any help with those friends of yours," Dean said, throwing his arm over Cas's shoulder and leading him out of the house, because, in the end, they were brothers in arms.

The End

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**Thanks again for reading. **

**Have a wonderful day!**


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